Issue 173
Issue 173 is the one-hundred and seventy-third of Image Comics' The Walking Dead and the fifth part of Volume 29: Lines We Cross. It was published on November 1, 2017. Plot As Paul looks at Aaron sleeping, he notices Beta out of the corner of his eye. He gets out of the way to avoid Beta's attack just in time and aims his rifle, but Beta causes him to miss his shot. Aaron hears this and wakes up to see the two fighting. He goes to help, but Paul tells him to look out for other possible whisperers in the area. Paul avoids another strike but gets pinned down by Beta, claiming that they can't be left alive to report their status. Just then Aaron and Paul save each other by shooting Beta and a whisperer, respectively. They check Beta's pulse and take off his mask; they recognize Beta as a former professional basketball player who had it all and marvel how the apocalypse had changed him into the monster lying before them. Beta suddenly rises up and screams that he has no name and is no one, then finally falls over dead. Back at the Hilltop, Maggie is looking over the map given to her by Dante inside her tent. The latter comes inside and inquires if she has been outside at all today; she seems to ignore him, stating that Negan is out there & living like he doesn't have a care in the world. Dante goes to leave, but Maggie asks him to wait. Elsewhere, Carl and Lydia are seen eating lunch. Carl wants to get back to work but Lydia tells him to not worry about it, stating that he's been working too hard. Nearby, Sophia loses her grip on part of the load she's carrying; Carl runs over to help her while Lydia glares at them both suspiciously. Aaron and Paul spot a campfire as they continue towards the Hilltop; at the camp, a small group of Whisperers await the return of Beta. One boy, Josh, says that he can't live like this and wishes to leave the group but another one, Mike, argues that the Whisperers have done this for a long time and have stayed alive, so they should at least try it; several others agree with Josh and banish Mike, who protests and wishes to stay. The other whisperers are swiftly killed by Aaron and Paul, who arrive at the site; they ask if the remaining three want to join Alexandria and the Hilltop colonies. After hearing they don't follow the whisperer's way of living, Josh and the others immediately agree. Rick is seen at Andrea's grave and returns to his house; Dwight and Laura watch him leave. Laura tells Dwight he shouldn't hold a grudge against Rick since he's that he's grieving over how he lost his wife; Dwight says they all are grieving. Laura snaps at him, saying that she's done with his constant moping and complaining over the fact he never seems to be happy and how Sherry died while trying to kill Rick. She leaves him, telling Dwight to come back when he's finished moping: 'maybe I'll still be interested in you.' Michonne, Eugene, Magna, Yumiko, Siddiq, and Juanita are seen continuing their journey to Ohio; Juanita tries to lighten the mood by asking if she's the only one having fun on this trip. Later, they arrive at an abandoned train yard that was established as a rendezvous point: Eugene wonders where Stephanie and her group are since they are the only ones here. Suddenly, a bright light flashes at them with a voice yelling at the survivors to get their hands up. Credits *Rick Grimes *Carl Grimes *Sophia *Maggie Greene *Michonne Hawthorne *Eugene Porter *Aaron *Paul Monroe *Dwight *Magna *Yumiko *Siddiq *Dante *Lydia *Laura *Beta *Juanita Sanchez *Joshua *Mike *Joshua's mother *The Whisperers *Commonwealth soldiers Deaths *Beta *4 unnamed Whisperers Trivia *First appearance of the Commonwealth. *First appearance of Joshua. *First (and last) appearance of Mike. (Unknown) *Last appearance of Beta. *Last appearance of the Whisperers. Category:Media and Merchandise